CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Talking about how center Joel Embiid impressed the Cavs as the team moved to the final three coaching candidates. The Browns are looking for a receiver. The Tribe this week brought back memories of Key West and Rocky Colavito.

About the Cavaliers' draft ...

If the NBA draft were today, I believe the Cavs would pick Kansas center Joel Embiid.

Do I know that? Not for sure. But I do know they were very impressed by Embiid's workout, and they were blown away by Embiid, the physical specimen. He was measured at 7-foot-1 in shoes. His wingspan was 7-6, his reach was 9-5.

He is huge!

The only NBA center who is larger is Roy Hibbert, Indiana's 7-2, 290-pound pivot man. But Hibbert lacks the speed and athleticism needed to make him consistently an impact player in the new high-speed NBA, where 17 teams averaged at least 100 points last season.

Embiid can run and leap. He fits into the type of uptempo game the Cavs want to play. He's also raw, which makes sense. He's 20 and played only one year at Kansas. He's from Cameroon and has played basketball for only four years. Before that, he was a soccer and volleyball player.

I think the Hakeem Olajuwon comparison was rather silly. The guy is a Hall of Famer.

Can Embiid develop into a center who makes an impact in the NBA, especially with his shot blocking and rebounding ability? Absolutely. The big issue is his back. He had a thorough physical with the Cavs. There are some concerns, but apparently no red flags. They will continue to look at his medical history, etc.

Embiid played only 23 minutes a game last season, averaging 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds. Those numbers seem modest, but are reduced because of playing with Andrew Wiggins. Yes, Wiggins would probably be the main alternative if the Cavs pass on Embiid.

Embiid shot .625 from the field, .685 at the foul line. While his offense needs work, he does have a decent shooting touch. This is not Andrew Drummond, shooting 40 percent from the free-throw line in his first two pro seasons.

In the last few years, the Cavs had chances to take centers -- and looked elsewhere. In 2010, they selected power forward Tristan Thompson over 7-footer Jonas Valanciunas. I thought that was the right move because Valanciunas had contract issues in Europe.

Toronto had to wait a year for Valanciunas to come to the NBA. He averaged 10.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and shot .635 from the field in his second pro season. He is a viable starting NBA center.

And yes, right now if I had to pick between Thompson and Valanciunas, I'd rather have Valanciunas. I was wrong and underestimated him.

In 2012, they grabbed Dion Waiters over Andre Drummond. It was the UConn center -- not Harrison Barnes -- who the Cavs considered at No. 4. Drummond averaged 13.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and shot .623 from the field in 2013-14. But at the foul line, he shot only .418. It's hard to have him on the court at the end of close games with such poor shooting.

Embiid is considered a superior center prospect to Valanciunas and Drummond. With oft-injured Anderson Varejao heading into the final year of his contract, the Cavs need a big man -- and Embiid may be their guy.

About the coaching search ...

For the moment, the final three are Alvin Gentry, Tyronn Lue and David Blatt.

Gentry: A 59-year-old NBA veteran who has been a head/interim coach for three teams.

Lue: He's 37, played in the NBA for 11 seasons. For the last five years, he has been an assistant to Doc Rivers in Boston, then the Clippers. Gentry and Lue both worked for Rivers in 2013-14.

Blatt: He's 55, played at Princeton and went overseas to play and coach. For the last 20 years, he has been one of Europe's best. He is considered brilliant in teaching offense. If he fails to land the Cavs' job, it's believed he has a standing offer to be Steve Kerr's top assistant in Golden State.

David Blatt won a lot of trophies coaching for Maccabi Tel Aviv. AP

What about Mark Price? They did talk to their former star point guard. He would be considered the fourth candidate, with the team doing more research.

This much is certain: The Cavs want a coach who is very strong working with point guards. It's a top priority. That is how Price came into the mix. Lue was a veteran guard. Gentry had success in Phoenix with Steve Nash and he's considered a strong coach on offense.

Blatt brings lots of innovative offenses to his teams.

As for Lionel Hollins, it doesn't appear he'll receive another interview. Mark Jackson was researched, but never considered a serious candidate by the Cavs -- or any other team this off-season after being fired by Golden State.

Right after Mike Brown was fired, I wrote that Gentry would be a top candidate -- and still believe that is true. But I also know as owner Dan Gilbert becomes involved, he isn't afraid to do the unexpected.

It was a major surprise when he hired Brown the first time in 2005, and a shocker when he did it again in 2013. So don't count out Lue, Blatt or perhaps Price being brought in for another interview.

About the Browns' receivers ...

Rookie Chandler Jones had some nice moments during the Browns spring practices.Joshua Gunter, The Plain Dealer

1. Here's hoping the Browns can find a few more receivers before the opener. They know Josh Gordon will be gone, whether for a portion or the entire season. The best receiver this spring was tight end Jordan Cameron.

2. Veteran Miles Austin hardly played, so it's difficult to know how the former Cowboy is doing with his cranky hamstrings. In 2012, he did catch 66 passes. Last season, he battled injuries and wasn't much of a factor.

3. Earl Bennett looks the part of a solid, possession receiver with good hands. But the former Chicago Bear is not a big-play guy.

4. The Browns have spoken highly of Charles Johnson since claiming him from Green Bay, but he's coming off knee surgery. He was a seventh-round pick by the Packers in 2013. Like Johnson, Travis Benjamin is also recovering from ACL surgery. The Browns hope these guys will be ready for training camp, but who knows?

5. Andrew Hawkins was Mr. Berea. The veteran ex-Bengal showed terrific hands and speed. The question is if the 5-7 slot receiver can stay healthy. He played only eight games and caught 12 passes last season.

6. Nate Burleson is 32. He has played in 15 of 32 games in the last two seasons. He is recovering from an arm injury and is supposed to be healthy for camp.

7. Anthony Armstrong has not played in the NFL since 2012, when he caught three passes. He's 31 and was perhaps the best deep threat in minicamp. But can he really be a factor? His last productive season was 2010.

I understand why General Manager Ray Farmer has downplayed the need for a big-time receiver. He knows that Gordon will be suspended at some point. But a deep threat is just that -- a threat to the defense. Having a fast guy with some receiving skills not only occupies a cornerback, but likely a safety.

Cameron was aided by Gordon's breakout season. A Pro Bowl choice, Gordon kept defensive coordinators up at night -- the lone player in an orange helmet defenses sought to contain.

Gordon would have helped the running game, if the Browns had even a mediocre running back. This year, Ben Tate and rookie Terrance West are a major upgrade.

I just sorted through the different receivers. Perhaps one develops into that big-play possibility. But no one right now looks the part.

Slot receivers can be effective. Hawkins could be productive and take some of the defensive attention away from Cameron.

A year ago, Davone Bess led the league in dropped passes. No one cared if the Browns threw him the ball. Even if he caught it, his speed was exhausted.

1. Mike Pettine wants a hard-hitting, intimidating team. That's part of the reason that the coach wasn't bothered by the minicamp fight between Garret Gilkey and Phil Taylor. But when the real games start, silly fights draw penalty flags.

2. Part of mental toughness is discipline. It's not being goaded into damaging penalties, what former coach Eric Mangini called "self-inflicted wounds." Fighting usually costs a team 15 yards. Most of the time, it's not worth the penalty.

3. Last season, the Browns were flagged for 24 false starts. Only Seattle and Baltimore (both 28) had more. Talk about unforced errors. It's surprising the Super Bowl champion Seahawks had that many.

4. The Browns were 15th out of 32 teams in total penalties. Seattle -- the league's best team -- was penalized for the most yardage. Houston -- the league's worst -- were second.

5. Penalties bother me because most are from a lack of attention. Pettine talks about being "competitive without being combative," and that makes some sense.

The front page of the Plain Dealer front page from June 11, 1959 after Rocky Colavito hit four home runs the night before against the Baltimore Orioles.The Plain Dealer

About Lonnie Chisenhall and Rocky Colavito ...

Exactly 55 years after Colavito's four-homer, six-RBI game, Chisenhall went deep three times and drove in nine runs.

The Sporting News had written an article in its June 10 edition touting Colavito as the American League slugger most likely to break Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in a season. Eddie Mathews of the Milwaukee Braves was the choice to break the record in the National League.

"Don't be silly," Colavito laughed it off when the suggestion was made to him. "That was a fine compliment The Sporting News paid me," observed Colavito. "I hope my slump is not letting the paper down."

Colavito broke out of his slump when on June 10 he hit four consecutive home runs in Baltimore. Colavito was 4-for-4 on the day with one walk, six RBIs and five runs scored. "Honest, I was just trying to meet the ball," said Colavito. "No, I wasn't going for a fourth. I thought I had a pretty good night already, hitting three."

It was at this point in Key West when Terry Pluto and his two friends decided it was time to drive to Boston's Fenway Park. AP

Key West to Fenway Park ...

In 1974, I paired up with two good friends -- Frank Voss and Frank Sarmir -- and decided to drive south in Voss' van.

We all lived in Northfield and had finished our first year of college. We had Florida in mind. Once we reached the border on I-75, we kept going south.

We ended up in Key West, spent the night sleeping on a beach. Not a wise idea. Bugs. Lots of bugs. Hungry bugs. We went to Ernest Hemingway's house and the southernmost point in the continental USA.

In between scratches and stale baloney sandwiches, we looked at the paper and talked baseball. We all wanted to see a game in Fenway Park before we died.

"Why not go now?" one of the Franks said. I'm not sure which one. We were young. We had enough money for gas, enough time for whatever.

With three of us, we could take turns driving and never have to stop. So we drove all night and day, all the way from Key West to Boston -- 1,648 miles. We parked along a street near the park, just in time for rain. The Red Sox were 84-78 that year, drawing 1.5 million fans. Very few games were sellouts.

We had no trouble buying tickets. It drizzled that day, and Bill Lee pitched. Can't recall the opponent. When it was over, we drove all the way home, arriving the next day.

There's no real moral or great point to this story. I just thought of it when I learned that my good friend and sports talk show host Les Levine went to Boston this weekend. It was his first trip to Fenway. He was not planning on a side trip to Key West.

About the Tribe ...

Kyle Crockett's control is why he is replacing Nick Hagadone in the bullpen.Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

1. Carlos Carrasco has made the bullpen his home. He has a 2.18 ERA in 20 2/3 relief innings, walking only four. He was 0-3, 6.95 as a starter. He had a 1.32 ERA in eight relief appearances last year. Not sure if he's ready to close, but he can be used in more meaningful situations.

2. While a move to the bullpen pulled Carrasco out of his early season funk, Ryan Raburn can't seem to find his swing. He entered the weekend batting .211 with one homer and 14 RBI in 123 at-bats. The Tribe gave him a two-year, $4.5 million deal based on .272 (.901 OPS) with 16 homers in a part-time role (86 games) last season.

3. In 2012, Raburn started slow for Detroit and then stalled. He batted only .171 with one homer, leading to his release and signing by the Tribe. Raburn is 33, and a key is confidence. When he struggles, he has a hard time snapping out of it.

4. A mess throwing the ball in April (nine errors), catcher Yan Gomes has not made an error in his last 27 games. Gomes is hitting .263 (.730 OPS) with seven homers and 22 RBI. He should be a solid big-league starting catcher for a long time.

5. Not sure how many more chances there will be for Nick Hagadone, who was sent back to the minors. It's the same story for the 28-year-old lefty. He throws hard, but has walked 44 in 70 big-league innings with an ERA of 5.66. He seems unable to handle the pressure in the majors.

6. Lefty Kyle Crockett is back. In 8 2/3 innings after he returned to the minors, he allowed one earned run (no walks) for Class AAA Columbus. He has an 0.74 ERA in the minors this season. He's a control pitcher, with an average fastball of 88 mph. But control means so much when coming out of the bullpen.

7. Since returning to Class AAA Columbus, Jesus Aguilar is 6-of-16 with three homers and nine RBI. For the season, he's batting .294 with 10 homers and 28 RBI.

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